


Spill my blood into the sea

by FoolishPrince



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, FTM Emma Swan, Other, Pirates, Trans, Violence, possible trigger warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:02:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23032156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoolishPrince/pseuds/FoolishPrince
Summary: Fleeing from her life in the White kingdom, Regina Mills finds herself aboard the pirate ship of one Captain Swan.Slow going.
Relationships: Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Emma Swan, Red Riding Hood | Ruby/Emma Swan
Comments: 32
Kudos: 109





	1. The escape

**Author's Note:**

> disclaimer: i don't own once upon a time
> 
> also, enjoy!

Hooves pounded rapidly on the cobble stone road racing past a figure hunched amongst the shadows of an alleyway. Clutching tightly to the bundle in their arms, the figure dashed from their hiding spot to another, barely missing the next set of horses. They continued this pattern of dashing between the shadows and narrowly avoiding horsemen until the shouts of “find her” grew distant and the smell of salt and fish grew strong. Their destination was close. The sea was only a short distance away and with the sea came boats and with boats came freedom.

“mommy,” a small head popped up from beneath the bundle in the woman’s arms.

“ssh, my prince” she hushed, nervously glancing around.

“where are we going” the boy whispered.

“somewhere safe, dear”

“from the bad men?”

“yes darling, now I need you to stay quiet, can you do that?”

“yes mommy” with that, she tucked his head back underneath the blanket and dashed off again.

Soon the harbor came into view and the woman sprinted from her place in the shadows to the dock. Hiding behind a barrel, she took in the three ships there. There was a navy ship, though she wasn’t all that inclined to climb aboard a ship baring this kingdoms arms, so that was out of the question. There was a ship baring the flags of a typical merchant. That one would work. merchant ships tended to have smaller crews, so there would be less of a chance of her being noticed.

The last ship was larger and also a merchant ship, but it sat at the end of the dock and there was little cover along the way. She pondered her options before deciding to go with the last ship. It would be ideal for stowing away despite the risk of exposure. She took a deep breath and prayed that no one would see her. She would have to sprint straight to the ship and get aboard without alerting anyone and then find a hiding spot. With another deep breath and a quick glance around, she was dashing down the shadowy dock as quickly and quietly as she could.

The ship deck was empty. The crew must be at the taverns. Whatever the case, she was glad. Horse hooves grew thundering and she quickened her pace and ducked below deck. Hammocks scattered about the area, hanging above cannons and tables and each other. There was someone sleeping in a hammock near the hatch to the cargo hold and she had to bite her tongue not to curse her luck. So much for the ship being empty. It was to late to turn back. She was going to have to slip by them and hope they didn’t wake.

……..

“Cap’n the queens got her platoons sweeping the streets for some’in”

“hmm, better get going then. Archie, go gather the crew from upstairs. August, go get Ruby from the barracks. Marco go make sure our supply was delivered to the docks” with that the blonde-haired man stood, shrugging on his red leather coat. He downed the rest of the ale in his tankard before whistling for the rest of his men scattered about the lower level of the tavern. He walked out knowing they wouldn’t be far behind.

The captain could hear the loud thundering of horse hooves from several directions. He pulled his red trifold low over his eyes and popped the collar of his coat up around his chin. It had been five years since he’d been to the white kingdom, he doubted anyone had recognized him, but it was best to be cautious. He took his time, sticking to the shadows, as not to cause any attention to himself.

Several of his men had made it to the ship ahead of him and were scrambling to load the cargo and get the rig ready for sail. His eyes caught sight of August, the eight-year-old weaving through the men like a little cat, trying to help where he could. He signaled for the boy to come to him.

“Cap’n” the boy saluted.

“did you find Ruby”

“aye, she’s in your quarter’s sir”

“thank you, lad, go get some rest before daylight comes”

“but I’m not tired”

“no buts boy, can’t have you dozing off in the crow’s nest”

“Sir” the boy saluted sourly.

The captain chuckled at the boy’s antics before turning towards his quarters. There he found his first mate slumped over his desk, she reeked of rum. He huffed, of course.

“Ruby” he barked kicking the edge of his desk. The busty brunette jerked awake with a startled look.

“blimey Swan, you trying to give me a heart attack” she croaked, popping her neck as she straightened her posture.

“if you weren’t three sheets to the wind right now, I wouldn’t have to” he growled.

She shrugged nonchalantly, “soldiers like to drink” she says simply.

“you are not a soldier Lucas, you’re intel”

“It’s easier to pry truths from loose lips, sides, I think you be satisfied with what I found”

“what did you find”

“taxes have been raised drastically high as of late, even the soldiers are getting shorted”

“so, Snow’s always been a glutton for gold that’s hardly news”

“Aye, but rumor has it that a little birdy’s been chirping in the queens ear calling the shots from the shadows”

“Snow taking orders from another, blasphemy” he scoffed, Ruby must be talking out of her head again.

“aye, but it seems to be true. A soldier told me a mysterious woman enchanted three naval ships and-” Ruby stopped suddenly as if something was donning on her.

“and what Ruby?”

“she sent them to neverland” she admitted with a wide-eyed expression. Swan frowned, if Snow was sending fleets to neverland…that could only mean one thing.

“we need to find Killian Jones”


	2. The stowaway

Regina awoke from an impromptu nap to the sounds of shouts and heavy footsteps. She backed further into her dark corner as she listened to the loud bangs of cargo hitting wooden planks and the grunts and groans of the crew as they worked. She bit her lip. They were still at the dock, which meant she could still be discovered and tossed off the ship. She didn’t have coin for safe passage and even if she did, they would surely recognize her and refuse.

She jumped, startling Henry, when she heard the hatch to the cargo hold being flung open. She quickly placed a finger to the boy’s lips so that he knew to stay quiet, then tucked his head back under his blanket. The sounds were louder now that the hatch was open. She could clearly hear the voices now as they began to load the hold.

“When ya think breakfast will be?”

“We just ate ya pig”

“Oi, who ya call’n pig, you shite sniffer”

“You, halfwit”

“Will you two shut da fuck up, carrying this shit is hard enough without you dumbasses using up all the air”

Regina listened as the men went about their work, grunting the occasional insult at each other as they did so. Her breath hitched every time a crate was dropped nearby or footsteps got too close. Her heart beat erratically in suspense.

Finally, after thirty grueling minutes, the footsteps began to get far and few between. The men, breathing heavily from exhaustion, began to quiet in wake of their task.

“that was the last of ‘em” a man with a soft voice informed.

“a’ight, need any help down ‘ere?” a gruffer voice spoke.

“no, Cap’s in a rush. Better go help the rest of the crew”

“aye sir”

It was quiet again, but she could tell by the heavy breathing that someone was still there. After a moment, light footsteps began to pace the area. She could hear the person sliding things around. They were checking for stowaways, she realized, regretting her decision to simply hide behind some barrels instead of trying to hide in them. The footsteps came closer and stopped.

She gasped loudly when the barrel she was behind was suddenly yanked away from its place, revealing her to the man on the other side. The man gasped as well and froze. He looked truly surprised that she was there. She flinched when he reached for before he stopped to study her. She took the moment to study him as well, taking in his broad shoulders and patchy facial hair, he was more boy than man really. Their eyes met. His were soft like a doe and they soften even more when Henry popped his head out of the blanket.

“hi” Henry whispered before she could stop him. The man swallowed heavily and glanced behind him. His lips began moving faintly as if he were having a silent conversation with himself. After a moment, he nodded to himself and turned his focus back on them.

“hi” he whispered back, glancing over his shoulder again. “our next stop isn’t for a month” he told her disappearing and reappearing with a tarp to pull over their heads. “you must be quiet, okay. I’ll bring you food when I can”

“thank you” she whispered once she got over her initial shock. He gave her a jerky nod before disappearing once again. It wasn’t until his footsteps receded that she released the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

A month. The future of her and her five-year-old child were in the hands of a mere boy for an entire month. Four whole weeks she would have to rely on a complete stranger. She only hoped he was as genuine as he seemed. She had no choice, but to trust him.

……….

“Biscuit!! I swear to god if you don’t get your fat ass into gear, I’ll tar ya and put you in the chicken pen”

“Aye, aye Cap’n, sorry sir!” the large man yelped, doubling his efforts to raise the anchor.

“I want this ship on course for pleasure island before the sun kisses the horizon!”

“Aye, aye Cap’n” the crew shouted.

Ruby came up the stairs a moment later, leaning her back against the rail beside the wheel. She had freshened up a bit, having found her hat and one of his spare coats to wear. He eyed her lucky wolf pendent sitting proudly atop the rough blue material.

“nice coat” He grunted pensively.

“I thought so” she quipped, completely ignoring his tone. He sucked his teeth, dropping the topic.

“anchor raised, Sir”

“lower the sails to half-mast” he shouted as he began the process of positioning the ship out to sea. “Jones?” he asked.

“no answer, so I sent a bottle message just in case he left the island” she glanced at him when he let out sigh. Her brows furrowing in concern when he began worrying at his lip, he wasn’t one for nervous habits. “Emmerik?” she dropped her voice low so that the crew couldn’t hear her speak to him so personally.

“it’s nothing”

“tell me”

“when we get to the island…it might be a good idea to get a map to the swamps” he waited for her answer, but she remained silent. A deep frown was marring her features when he looked her way. “what’s the matter Ruby?”

“is-is this about…” she trailed off lowering her eyes to his crotch. His features darkened and he looked away.

“no” he grunted fixing his gaze on the horizon.

“last time you…you were in a really bad way” she whispered “I was so afraid I wa-”

“I know” he cut her off harshly.

“I just had to ask. I care, you know”

“I know” he sighed “I know”

They grew quiet after that. Both needing a moment to compose themselves. It wasn’t until sometime after the sun had risen that Ruby got the courage to bring the subject back up again.

“why do we need to go to the swamps?” she asked.

“I never said we were going”

“Emmerik”

He sighed, “I’m not sure yet, but I…I think it might be time I get my ship back”

“The Black Swan?” she gasped a bit too loudly. Some of the crew glanced their way. A murmur of excitement was quick to begin. Emmerik groaned and Ruby chuckled sheepishly. “Do we pay you numbskulls to flap your gums or sail?!!” she barked.

“Sail!”

“Then quit babbling like a bunch of giddy wenches and get back to work!!!”

“Yes, Ma’am!”

“The Black Swan?” Ruby asked again, this time much quieter.

“Smooth”

“Em”

“Don’t call me that” he glared “and it’s just a hunch”

“But still, The Black Swan?”

“Leave it be Ruby, I’m not certain I’ll even need it”

“Fine, I’m going to see if Granny’s up, want anything?”

“Nah, just wake that boy up on your way back”

“I’ll bring you some cackle fruit”

“Ruby, I’m not hung-”

“MOMMY!!!” both their heads snapped toward the lower deck where the screams of a woman and child could be heard from below. Graham and a few others quickly went to investigate.

“Go!” Emmerik barked for Ruby to do the same.

……..

“get off of me” Regina screamed pushing at her assailant.

It had been a few hours since the ship had set out to sea. She only knew this because it had been darker when the ship had suddenly lurched and began swaying against the waves.

She had been entertaining Henry with a silent game of patty cake when they heard the hatch open and someone enter the hold. The smell of food had been wafting down from the floor above, so naturally she assumed it was the boy from before bringing them a bite to eat. If only she had realized her own stupidity before she ended up trapped beneath a man nearly three times her size.

“quiet wench, before ye get us caught” he grunted. His breath smelt of rum and rot and it made her stomach turn. He ripped the front of her dress open and she thrashed harder as he painfully twisted one of her nipples.

“mommy” Henry whimpered. He was crying in the corner. The man had shoved him into the wall when he had tried to help her.

“shut up lad or I’ll kill ya” the man growled, kicking at the small boy. Enraged by the abuse of her child, Regina found the strength to free her arms and claw at the mans face. He hissed, but didn’t faulter in his attack. She screamed again when he started fumbling with his pants and he quickly wrapped a hand around her throat to silence her.

“MOMMY!!!” she heard Henry scream when she began choking. She kicked and clawed as best she could, but her vision was growing hazy from lack of oxygen. Just when she thought she would pass out, the weight on top of her vanished.

“get the fuck off of her” someone shouted as she gasped for breath. When her sight returned, she saw the nice man from earlier punching her attacker.

“that’s enough Graham” a new voice, a woman, ordered. “grab Whoreson and the child” the woman barked, stalking over to Regina and pulling her roughly off the ground. Two other men quickly came onto the scene and grabbed Whoreson and Graham scooped up Henry.

“Let go of me” Regina growled, trying to rip her arm away from the other brunette woman. She didn’t like her rough treatment.

“Shut up wench” Ruby barked, shoving the woman up the stairs. Ruby growled when the woman continued to pull at her hold. A stowaway was bad enough as it was, but a crew member attempting to assault the stowaway, a woman no less, was worst. Emmerik was not going to be pleased with this at all. He had absolutely no tolerance for these types of things. Great. This just had to happen when he was in a mood too.

She promptly let the woman go at the top of the stairs causing her to fall onto the deck.

“Bitch” Regina tried to attack the other woman, but was quickly knocked back down. She attempted go in for another attack, but was stopped by Henry who managed to wiggled free from Graham and dive into her arms. “oh, my darling boy” she murmured into his hair, her anger forgotten. Her poor baby was trembling and she decided they had to escape. Quickly, she tried to flee towards the gig.

“not so fast” Ruby said, grabbing the woman by the shoulder.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE??” a voice suddenly boomed across the deck. Regina’s head snapped up to see a man dressed in burgundy leather jacket making his way down to the main deck. “well? Someone better start talking!” the man barked. It was then that Regina realized she was bare-chested and standing in the middle of a bunch of men. Some of them were openly leering at her state of undress and she held Henry a little tighter to herself embarrassed.

“A stowaway Captain, Whoreson was trying to take advantage of her” Ruby offered, grimacing as Emmerik’s face darken.

“is this true Whoreson?” Emmerik asked. The man in question began to sob.

“I was only tryin to have a little fun wit ‘er cap’n. I was gonna tell ya after, I swears it Cap’n”

“I have one rule on my ship that every pirate knows never to break” Regina gasped at the word pirate and Emmerik paused to address her, “oh, yes lass, you snuck yourself on a pirate ship. Now what is that one rule?”

“Treat women like your mama, Sir!” the crew recited.

“Right! When you are on my ship, you treat women with respect” he barked then turned to Whoreson “now Whoreson, where you treating this woman with respect?”

“Please cap’n mercy” the man didn’t even try to defend himself.

“like the mercy you were to give her?” Emmerik sneered “you know the rules of my ship. you plead with the seadogs for mercy because you’ll get none from me”

“please sir” Whoreson sobbed.

“gut ‘em and throw ‘em overboard”.

Regina gasped, covering Henry’s ears and eyes as the man was dragged to the edge of the deck. She couldn’t help, but feel a little satisfied by his terrified screams. She grimaced as a cutlass was thrusted into his belly and jerked upwards abruptly. With a strangled sound and splash, the man was gone.

After a pause, the captain began to speak again.

“I never did like that man” He muttered before turning to his men. “now…who was in charge of stowaways?”

“I was, Sir” Graham answered, tentatively approaching the man. Emmerik had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. Of course. It seemed the only times they ever had stowaways was when Graham was in charge of looking for them. It was like they somehow knew.

“dammit Graham, I swear you and your big heart are going to get me killed one day” Emmerik complained.

“but she has a child”

“Graham, do you not remember the last person you let hide on my ship?”

“but captain, a woman with a child has no intentions of harming you”

“you’re right, a woman who stows away with a child has far worst intentions. It means she’s running and whomever is chasing her is what will put me in the locker”

“but your captain Swan, you can fight anyone”

“god seed man, if you didn’t have the eyes of a puppy and the heart of a lamb, I swear I’d cut you down myself” Emmerik groaned and some of the crew laughed. It was no secret the man looked up to him, but sometimes the blind fate Graham had bestowed upon him made him question ever making the man a pirate. He just wasn’t cut out for it, “damn, what am I gonna do with you”

“I understand and take full responsibility sir”

“seven lashing’s and no meals for the day shall teach ya” Emmerik said with sigh.

“yes sir”

“Ruby give the man his lashings” Emmerik ordered taking the stowaway by the collar of her torn dress and pulling her toward the upper deck. The rest of the crew stepped back as well. Some going back to work, others watching on in grim satisfaction. The punishment was small, but lashings didn’t happen often.

Emmerik made sure the woman watched the entire ordeal. He wanted her to see the pain she caused Graham. Wanted her to hear his cries. He hated that he had to punish the boy because of her.

When the last lashing was dealt, he had Ruby lock the woman in his room. He didn’t quite trust all of his men so his quarters would have to do for the day. He would figure a more permeant solution later when he had more time to process it all.


	3. The kid's alright

“you know…” Ruby ventured “you will eventually have to sleep”

They were standing at the wheel once more. Nightfall had approached and Ruby had just come up from a nap in preparation for a night of sailing. Normally, Ruby would take over an hour before dusk, then Graham would relieve her around midnight and Emmerik would take back over before dawn. Tonight though, with Graham out of commission, she would be taking the entire night shift. Or so she thought.

“Graham’s too tired to take his shift”

“hence, the big nap I just took”

“I’m fine with this shift”

“Look, if it’s about that woman, there’s a spare bed in my quarters, you can put her there”

“and give Granny a reason to feed me hardtack, no thanks, she’s still angry about me sticking August with y’all”

“nah, the old bat loves that boy” Ruby brushed it off. Emmerik snorted, it was true. Despite her best efforts to convince everyone otherwise, Granny had a soft spot for children and strays.

“careful, I might tell Granny you’re revealing all her secrets” He smirked.

“you wouldn’t dare” she mock gasped.

“try me”

“do that and _I’ll_ make sure you eat nothing, but hardtack” she threatened, laughing at his face of mock horror.

“I concede” he said trying to discreetly stifle a yawn. Ruby caught it though and immediately shot him a look. “I’m fine”

“you didn’t sleep the night before or the night before that. You need sleep”

“I’m fine”

“do you want my bunk?”

“no, I don’t need your bunk, I’m fine” he groaned. He could tell she wasn’t going to give up so he decided to just tell her the truth. “this is not about our stowaways. I just haven’t been sleeping well since deciding to go to the White kingdom”

“Ah” Ruby hummed.

That made sense. The White kingdom had always been a sore spot for Emmerik. He was probably having night terrors. In the past, she would help him forget about them, but he had put a stop to that some time ago. There wasn’t much she could do now.

“Do you want me to sleep in my bunk with you?” she asked, scoffing when he raised an eyebrow. “not like that, dummy”

“I know” he chuckled, giving her question some thought. “who would man the ship?”

“We can wake up Marco”

He considered that for a moment before deciding against it, “Honestly Ruby, I’m fine”

“I think you should at least try”

“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

“Nope”

“Fine, I’ll try for a few hours”

…….

After several failed attempts at escaping the captain’s bed chambers, Regina resigned herself to mentally plotting her escape and entertaining Henry. She realized any chance of getting out of this room wouldn’t be until the filthy pirate returned to have his way with her. Thus, the reason she was awake when the lock clicked and the door swung open.

She froze when the man entered. She watched him remove his jacket and his hat, hanging them on the wall beside him. His vest came off next and was tossed to the floor. His boots and socks met the same fate, leaving him in a white tunic and black pants. The black scarf around his head was the last to go and she grimaced at the mess of curls, dreads and braids underneath. Bits of gold and sea glass jingled as he shook it out, pulling at it until it hung loosely below his chin.

“move over” he grunted once he was satisfied with his hair. She flinched when his eyes flickered to her exposed chest before they met hers in a heated glare.

“please, not with my son in the bed” she begged. That pissed him off. She was on his ship. In his quarters. Taking up space on _his_ bed. And she thought he was going to do to her what he had just killed one of his crew mates for trying to do. Did she think he didn’t abide by his own rule just because he was captain?

“you broke onto my fucking ship wench, I’ll do as I please”, with that he tossed a pillow in her face and plopped down with his back to her. Regina scoffed angrily, but kept her mouth shut, not willing to risk tempting the captain in any way.

She waited till the man’s breathing became deep and slow before slipping out of bed. Silently, she crept to the door and eased it open, cringing with every creek and groan it made. She stopped once it was large enough to slip through and made her way to the door that opened up to the deck. She cursed silently when she discovered it to be locked and made her way to the desk in search of a key.

The only drawers that would open were the two large ones at the bottom. The first was full of old maps and documents on landmarks and artifacts. The second drawer held ledgers and files on members of the crew. Regina was surprised the pirate even knew how to read, let alone have the forethought to keep such documents. She went to close the drawer, but something caught her eye. A piece of cloth was tucked beneath the track of the drawer. It looked to have fallen from a draw above. Gently, she pried it from between the drawer and unfolded it. It was a small painting. It was faded and heavily creased, but she could clearly make out a dark-haired woman holding a blonde-haired baby wrapped in a pink blanket. The woman had the most intense green eyes Regina had ever seen and she had the oddest feeling of deja vu as she stared at them.

She shook the feeling off, remembering her search, and quickly put the picture back the way she found it. The top of the desk had no key and all the cabinets around the room were locked as well. The bookshelf didn’t have any hidden secrets, but she did find a letter opener. She placed the letter opener in her sock and crossed the room to a door opposite of the bedchambers. It was the latrine. It was small, with a tub and toilet that nearly touched. She lifted the toilet seat and stared down at the dark ocean water. She sighed. She and Henry could fit, but simply jumping into the ocean would be foolish. They weren’t escaping tonight.

When she returned, green eyes were cracked open watching her through the dark. She gasped, jumping back, thinking the captain would punish her for leaving the bed and snooping through his things, but the man only grunted “don’t slash my throat” before turning on his belly and gently pushing Henry, who had migrated to the man’s side, back against the wall. She frowned, wondering if he had been watching her the whole time before warily crawling between the two.

……..

Emmerik gasped, waking from yet another night terror. This one left his back drenched in sweat and chest straining painfully. There was a pit in his stomach and it felt heavy like he had swallowed an anchor. He took in a deep breath and forced it out slowly until his heart stopped beating so frantically. He continued this for several minutes.

He frowned when he finally calmed down. Everything, but the heavy feeling on his stomach went away and he realized that there was actual weight resting on his belly. He opened his eyes and blinked in surprise when he found curious green eyes blinking back.

“hi” Henry whispered from his perch.

“morning” Emmerik whispered back, baffled by the boy straddling his torso.

“you pirate?”

“yes”

“good or bad?”

“neither” he watched the boy frown at this.

“you killdid da bad man”

“he broke the rules” he replied simply. The little boy nodded, easily accepting this answer. He leaned forward placing his elbows on Emmerik’s chest so he could rest his face in his hands. Emmerik had to resist the urge to toss the boy across the room.

“what your name?”

Emmerik blinked at the abrupt change in topic, “Emmerik”

“em-em-me-rik?”

“you can just call me Captain Swan” Emmerik chuckled.

“Cap’n Swan” the boy nodded “I’m Henry” he added as he began playing with one of Emmerik’s braids.

“pleasure to meet you”

The boy paused in the middle of making little explosive noises and gave him serious look, “da plea-sure is all mine” he replied and this time when he nodded his head, it was different, stiff, almost like it was practiced. ‘How odd’ Emmerik thought, watching the boy go back to playing with his hair. He tried to recall where he had seen that gesture before, but he couldn’t place it.

“I’m getting up” he warned sitting up. Henry tumbled backwards landing in his lap with a giggle. He stuck his bare feet in the captain’s face, giggling harder when they were pushed away. “get those salty piggy’s outta my face lad” Emmerik smiled at how tickled the boy was getting over nothing.

“they’re not piggy’s, they’re toes” the boy squealed as Emmerik placed him on the floor.

“they look like piggy’s to me” Emmerik grunted as he swung his feet to the floor. He glanced behind him to see what the boy’s mother thought of this conversation, but she was still asleep, bundled in all the blankets. That explains why he had been so cold last night.

“mommy’s tired, we ran from da bad men” Henry commented, having followed the man’s gaze.

Emmerik squinted at the boy. So that was why the troops were running rampant around the harbor. This woman was an in trouble with the white kingdom. Interesting. That would explain the boys odd nod, it was evidence of etiquette classes. Perhaps this woman was a duchess who crossed the queen. Suddenly, his plan of dumping the two on pleasure island didn’t seem like the best idea.

“are you gonna hurt mommy?” the boy asked when the silence stretched for too long.

“no, but this isn’t a free trip, she’ll have to work, you both will”

“now?”

“no, I’ll let you both rest for the day” he grunted as he reached for the drawer below the bed. He lifted his feet as it slid out and Henry slid back, watching quietly as the man pulled out a blue and gold hooded tunic. “close your eyes”

“why?”

“because I have scars, I don’t like people to see ‘em”

“oh” he closed his eyes and Emmerik quickly switched shirts. “I have a scar” he said, pointing blindly to a cut he had received yesterday.

“that’s not even a scab yet lad” he chuckled. He pulled out a length of golden rope and closed the drawer. “you can open your eyes” he said, tying back his hair. “is that nightgown the only thing you got?” he asked, just noticing the boy’s attire.

“mommy took me outta bed” Henry explained.

“hmm, got on your long john?”

“nope” he seemed proud of that answer.

“well, we’ll figure out something” he stood and held his hand out to the boy. “how old are you?” he asked, looking at the small hand wrapped around two of his fingers.

“this many” he held up his other hand, his tiny fingers spread wide.

“five then” huh, were five-year-old’s that scrawny? Maybe. He couldn’t recall what August looked like at that age, but he was a pretty scrawny eight-year-old so perhaps this was normal size.

“uh huh” the boy hummed and began doing a little dance. Emmerik couldn’t help, but laugh loudly at the strangeness of it.

“what are you doing boy?” he asked, ushering him into the office so they wouldn’t wake his mother.

“this is my five dance”

“ah” this kid was a hoot “that’s some jig”

“I made it myself….I’m hungry”

“let’s go get some grub then”

“okay” the boy chirped, little fingers holding Emmerik’s tightly as he skipped beside him. The sun was already up, warming the deck beneath their bare feet.

“morning, Cap’n!!” the morning crew saluted.

“Morning men, what’s for breakfast?”

“porridge, Sir” someone answered.

He nodded his thanks and made for the hatch. Those that were up greeted him on his way to the kitchen, some even saying hello to the boy. They found Granny standing over a large cauldron. muttering to herself as she stirred.

“morning Granny” he greeted.

“boy” she grunted, not even sparing him a glance. She wasn’t a morning person. Yet, she always shot him down when he suggested she take later hours.

“what’s the special this morning?”

“porridge with kumquats”

“oh, fancy”

“boy, are you tryna get on my nerves” she glared at him before noticing Henry. “who’s this?” she asked.

“Henry, our new ship boy” he introduced, pushing the boy forward when he tried to hide. “ah, don’t be scared lad, Granny’s more bark than bite, I swear”

“you are tryna get on my nerves” she glared at Emmerik. “now, what would you like for breakfast pup?” she asked Henry, offering him a smile.

“do-do you have cocoa?” Henry asked shyly, hiding behind Emmerik’s leg.

“I’ll see what I can whip up. How bout you get the boy some clothes while I do that”

“hey! there better be some cocoa for me too”

“you’ll be lucky if I give you porridge” she grunted over her shoulder, digging through her cabinets for some cacao.

“yeah, yeah, is August back there?” he asked, motioning to the door at the back of the kitchen. Granny waved for him to check “come on, lad” he said, slipping by the old woman. August was in his bunk, curled around a toy stuffed whale. Emmerik smiled and ran his hand gently over the boys back a few times. The kid probably spent the whole night up with the crew.

“Cap’n Swan?” the boy asked through a yawn.

“Morning August, we came to see if you could spare a pair of trousers”

“trousers?” he asked, sitting up. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and yawned once more. “oh, you’re the kid from yesterday, hello” he greeted noticing the room’s other occupant.

“I’m Henry”

“I’m August, let me see what I have” he slid off his bunk and rummaged through the drawer beneath. He didn’t have much, Emmerik noticed making a mental note to get the kid a few things when he got a chance. “ah ha” August cheered, pulling out a pair of faded red overalls, “they’re a little big, but the straps will help” he said and gave them to the other boy.

“thank you” Henry said with a happy smile. Emmerik helped him step into the pant legs and tuck his nightgown into the waist. They had to cross the straps to keep them from slipping and roll the pant legs tight around his ankles. In all honesty, he looked a bit foolish, but it was the best they had at the moment.

“there we go, thanks lad, you can go back to sleep if you like”

“but what about my shift?”

“I’ll have Tarzan cover it; he’s always swinging about the ship anyways. go ahead and get your rest, you won’t always have these opportunities”

“alright” the boy yawned; his eyes already half shut. Emmerik ruffled the eight-year-old’s head, then led the newly clothed Henry back into the kitchen. A tray with three bowls and three cups was thrust into his hands the moment he stepped through the door.

“here boy, now get” Granny grunted.

“there’s three bowls” Emmerik pointed out. Granny gave him a look like he was dense.

“the boy has a mother, does he not?”

“right” he forgot about her. He sighed, “come on lad”

“bye grandma” Emmerik choked on his breath at the boy’s innocent farewell. His eyes darted to Granny and he was surprised to find a warm smile on her face.

“bye pup, come by and see me later, yeah?”

“okay!” Henry chirped and skipped out the door. Once he was gone, Emmerik offered her the biggest, cheesiest grin he could muster. Granny gave him the stink eye.

“ _you_ , I’d like to push overboard”

Emmerik pouted, “you’re so mean, Grandma” he mocked, narrowly avoiding a spoon aimed at his head as he ducked out the door.

“brat” he heard Granny huff with a chuckle.

……..

“eat” the man ordered for the third. Regina wasn’t having it. She just continued to glare at him. She had been glaring at him from the moment he woke her and shoved a dirty brown shirt into her face and ordered her to put it on. She only put it on to hide herself from his disgusting leer, not because he told her too.

Emmerik mentally groaned. This woman was the biggest pain in the ass he had ever met. She refused to talk to him. She refused to put on the shirt he gave her at first. She refused to get out of bed. She refused to sit down in his desk chair. Now, she refused to eat. This was getting was getting old quick. He glanced at Henry, perched atop the desk, happily recounting the events of his morning. Emmerik smirked. He was going to nip this stubborn attitude in the bud right now.

“and then grandma gave us cocoa, see” Henry finished, pointing to everyone’s cups.

“tell me lad…” Emmerik paused, making eye contact with the woman “can you swim?”

“no” Henry answered. Emmerik’s smirk widened. That was just the answer he was hoping for.

“perhaps, I should give you some lessons” he eyed the woman again and her face paled. Good. She understood the threat.

“really!” Henry asked, completely oblivious to the actual meaning of the offer.

“oh yeah” he hummed, watching triumphantly as the woman began to pick at her food. “hm, look who’s suddenly hungry” he mocked.

“is it good mommy?” Henry asked eagerly.

“yeah, is it good, _mommy_?” for a moment, he thought he saw the woman’s eyes flash purple.

Henry giggled, “she’s not your mommy!”

“oh, that’s not her name?” he asked innocently.

“nooo!” Henry squealed.

“well, what is her name?”

“Regina” the woman growled through clenched teeth.

“wow, you speak, what a surprise”

“Yes” she hissed. She was livid. How dare this man just casually stand there, conversing with her son like he didn’t just threaten him.

“You will call me Captain Swan”

“Captain Swan” she repeated, her eyes widening. He smirked again. So she had heard of him. 

“good, now that I have your attention. Let me make a few things clear. This is my ship and you will obey my rules” he watched her face darken as he listed the chores she would have to do and the rules she had to follow. This was not a woman who took orders. She defiantly wasn’t one that did chores. This was going to be a long month.


	4. Johnny boy

Over the course of a week, Emmerik had found himself falling into a somewhat pleasant routine. His night terrors had eased now that they were out of White Kingdom waters and he had begun sleeping past sunrise. Now, when he woke, it was because little fingers were pulling up his eyelids, not because his heart was trying to beat out of his chest. Every morning, just like the first, he’d find Henry perched atop his stomach. He’d do something silly to send the boy into a fit of laughter, then scoop him up into his arms. Together they’d get breakfast and say good morning to the crew. The kid brought a lightness to his mornings that he hadn’t had in years.

Of course, all that lightness could only last so long before it came crashing down. His mornings with Henry were great, but his mornings with Henry’s mother, not so much. It was clear, from the moment she had heard the word, that Regina had pegged him as the dirty pirate who rapes women and kills just to kill. He hadn’t done anything to her, yet She jumped every time he got too close and flinched whenever he got into bed. And when she wasn’t being the scared little lamb, she was being the raging bitch who fought him, tooth and nail, every time she was told to do something. Then, as if the insubordinates wasn’t enough, there was the glaring.

“she’s at it again” Ruby commented.

“I know” Emmerik growled, keeping his eyes on the horizon. He didn’t have to look to tell Regina was glaring at him; he could already feel her eyes burning into his skull. Her glare was extra hard today because he had put Henry in the crow’s nest with August as a punishment for trying to escape last night. His blood boiled just thinking about that argument.

**Earlier that day…**

“get my son down from there!!!” Regina screamed.

“you have five seconds to get out of my face” He growled lowly, wiping a drop of spit off of his cheek. Her expression wavered, but she didn’t back down.

“I won’t allow you to put my child in harm’s way”

“I don’t care, get back to work”

“this is not okay!!!”

“it’s your own damn fault, you shouldn’t have tried to take the gig last night. Where the fuck do you even think you’re going get on a rowboat anyways, huh?” he barked. He was really sick of this behavior. Had this been one of his men, he would have knocked the teeth out of their mouth and made them clean the blood with their tongue. He did not allow this kind of lip from anyone, not even Ruby.

“tell that man to go back up there and _get.my.son_ ” she growled darkly, her eyes flashing purple.

That was it. He had enough. He was going to beat her. He was really going to beat her. She was bad for the heath, this woman. Morale codes be damned, she needed to be put in her place.

She yelped when he snatched the front of her shirt up and pulled her close, “listen to me very carefully” he gritted teeth, “this is my ship, I give the orders and I make the rules” he put his lips close to her ear. “you will not! Make a scene like this again, got it” He sneered. She nodded her head frantically “say it!”

“I understand Captain Swan” she gasped. She was terrified.

“Good” he shoved her to the ground, hard, and retreated before he did something worst.

**…Present**

“do you want me to handle it?” Ruby asked.

“yes, please” he begged. If he had to deal with that woman right now, he would strangle her.

“on it” Ruby made a show of stomping down the stairs to the main deck. “Oi! how bout you stop glaring and start swabbing the deck” she barked and Regina immediately got back to mopping. “slack off again and I’ll shove that mop up your ass”

“thanks” he sighed when she returned.

“no problem”

…….

Regina glared at the deck, mopping the wooden boards aggressively. She was so angry about everything. All she had wanted was freedom. Somewhere safe from all the nightmares in her life. A place she and Henry could call home. This voyage was supposed lead to her freedom, not another imprisonment. She wasn’t supposed to end up on a bloody pirate ship. She was supposed to be free, dammit. Her vision blurred and a few tears dropped onto the deck. Why? Why did she have to suffer? Why did bad things always happen to her? Why couldn’t things go her way just once?

She jumped, suddenly, when the man beside her started humming. A man behind her chuckled and started humming as well. Slowly, all the men on deck began humming. Regina blinked; her tears forgotten. What was going on?

“oh, Johnny boy has the best of ale ~ I sold me lady for just a pail ~ then sold me knickers just for more ~ and like a fool, I dropped it on the floor” a man spoke in tune with the humming.

“oh, Johnny boy has the best of ale ~ I thought me lady had a tail ~ come the morn that was not the case ~ for me lady was a man ~ I screamed so loud the bastard woke and I damn near had a stroke ~ till Johnny boy set me straight with a barrel full of ale” the crew laughed and another man began. They all took turns to speak in jest of the outlandish things they did after drinking Johnny’s ale. Regina turned her head towards the captain. She was expecting the ruthless man to snap at his men for having fun, but to her surprise, he was leaning over the wheel smiling and tapping his hand to the beat.

“what of you Cap’n, ‘ave you had Johnny’s ale?” a man yelled. Regina held her breath in anticipation, thinking for sure the man was about to be punished for speaking without being spoken too, but to her surprise, again, the captain chuckled before answering.

“aye boys, I’ve had Johnny’s ale” he spoke with humor in his voice.

“what it do, Cap’n” the crew choirest. All of them were practically vibrating with excitement at the thought of their captain joining in the fun.

“oh, Johnny boy has the best of ale ~ I lost me self for a week ~ then woke suckling a mermaids teat ~ the bloody thing claimed she were me mother!!! ~ but her milk, dear boys, it wasn’t bad ~ so I stayed until she called me dad ~ and the man was bloody Davy Jones himself ~ after that I swore to rum and kicked dear Johnny boy in his drums ~ and that’s the last I ever heard of ‘em” the crew cheered and laughed, deciding their captain had the best jest and switched to an actual song.

Regina was stunned. It didn’t make sense. Pirates were ruthless creatures. They raided ship’s and villages of everything they had. They raped women and killed children. They brought everything they touched to ruin. They didn’t sing ridiculous songs. They didn’t have fun. 

This man, singing and laughing with his crew, was the feared Captain Swan? This was the man whose bounty was large enough to feed an entire kingdom? Whose list of offenses was 100 pages long. This man was the White Kingdom’s most dangerous enemy?

…….

Regina was sitting at his desk when Emmerik retired for the night. She had been oddly tame since lunchtime. Not once did she sneer or glare at him like she usually did. She didn’t even argue when he told her to go clean below deck. In fact, he hadn’t heard a peep from her since this morning. 

“why?” she asked with a confused frown.

“why what?” he inquired, tilting his head to the side.

“why do you hate the White kingdom so much? What did they do to you?”

He studied her for moment, wondering where this question was coming from. “what did they do to _you_?” he asked, watching her closely. Her face darkened, but she didn’t answer. “Regina” he called. Her eyes snapped to his, this was the first time he had used her name.

“yes?”

“the enemy of my enemy is my friend…think about that” he said. He waited for her to acknowledge that, before walking to the bedroom. “let me know when you decide who’s your friend” he called over his shoulder.

……….

**Breathe… Breathe… Can’t breathe…Why can’t I breathe? ...Drowning? … No, no I’m home…. Breathe… Just breathe…. Breathe dammit!!!**

He tried to gasp, but his airway was being constricted. His mind was racing, screaming for him to breathe, to fight, to stay alive. He chest convulsed as his lungs spasmed, frantically trying to pull in the oxygen he needed to live. His heart slammed painfully against his ribs with each failed attempt at breath. Why couldn’t he breathe? Hadn’t he just been sleeping?

His shoulders jumped and the grip around his neck loosened just enough for him to suck in some air. A weight shifted and the grip tightened again. Something was on top of him, squeezing all the life out of him. He had to get it off. He had to live.

His eyes snapped open. His vision had been reduced to pinpricks, but it was enough to make out the hazy figure above. Pale, ghostly white skin floated in his vision. A chill struck him to his core when he zeroed in on the eyes. Black, black eyes. soulless black eyes. Demon? Have the gods finally tired of him? were they finally fixing their mistake? Were they ridding the world of such an abomination? After nineteen years, were they done? No! no he knew that skin, those eyes.

“Snow?” he managed to croak. Suddenly, the grip loosened and he could breathe. He gasped, taking in as much air as he could. It hurt. It hurt a lot. His throat felt raw and his lungs didn’t seem to know what to do with the sudden rush of oxygen. “why? (gasp) why the hell (gasp) did you do that?”

The fourteen-year-old tilted her head, “I wanted to see if a person would know they were dying if they were asleep” she offered the older teen a wide smile, all her teeth on display. “did you know?”

“the fuck, Snow” he gasped, breaking into a coughing fit. The girl just observed him, black eyes never blinking. “Out!!! Get out of my room!!!”

He waited till her footsteps were nothing, but faint whispers, to break down. He curled in on himself and sobbed, panic seizing his heart. He wished, desperately, that he had the strength to crawl to his mother.

**…….**

“Get off” Emmerik gasped, thinking the weight on top of him was Henry. The panic was seeping in and he needed to get the boy far, far away before that happened. The weight remained and he opened his eyes when Henry didn’t giggle or pull back his eyelids like he had been doing for the past two weeks. Brown eyes were glaring back at him “Snow?” he gasped, squinting through the dark. Was the dream looping? Was it going to be one of those nights?... No, Snow’s eyes were black. This was Regina. Regina with angry eyes and a letter opener pressed to his jugular. “You bitch” he growled, pushing down the panic. This was the last straw.

“I won’t let you; I won’t let you hurt me” Regina cried out. Emmerik frowned, stopping himself from throwing her to the ground. Something was different about her tone. She sounded hysterical. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly and her eyes were glossy and unfocused.

“Hey, hey” he cooed soothingly “lass, look at me, what do you see, who am I right now?”

“Don’t play games with me Leopold” she snarled. His eyes widened. She knew Leopold? How? Was she one of his whores? Who was she to him?

“No, I’m not him” he said calmly.

“Lies, you’re lying” she cried frantically. Emmerik swallowed. What had Leopold done to this girl?

“Look, I know…I know I bare resemblance, I do, but I am not him”

“You’re trying to trick me so you can hurt me again, I won’t let you” tears were welling up in her eyes and she was visibly shaking.

“Regina, look at me okay. My eyes are green. My hair is blonde. My name is Emmerik, Regina”

“Emmerik” she whispered, the knife easing off his neck.

“yes, you didn’t know that before, my name is Emmerik Swan”

“Emmerik Swan” suddenly the knife was pressed back against his neck, he could feel it nick his skin “you’re a pirate” she sneered.

He nodded as best he could with a blade to his throat, “you’re right, I am, and I’ve done awful things, but before I was a pirate, I was just a boy whose only sin was wanting to be a man” he froze when she collapsed into his chest sobbing. The sounds of her cries were heart wrenching. Slowly, he brought his arms up, wrapping them around her. He let his fingers trace feather light patterns into her back. “shh, lass, I know…shh, we’re a long ways away from that place, a long ways away from the people who’ve hurt us”


	5. A week away

Ruby stood on the main deck watching Emmerik with a frown. She knew he could feel her gaze, but he was pretending to not notice. They would make it to pleasure island in a little over a week and she was getting worried. He wasn’t talking to her and she hadn’t been allowed on the quarter deck all week. She knew the reason for this treatment of course. He had the dream, the one that marks the beginning of his downfall, and was hiding from her.

Over the years, he realized if he pulled rank and iced her out whenever something was bothering him, she couldn’t tell him the things he needed to hear. Instead he’d get to wallow in self-pity and hatred and let it build until he was too weak to push her away. The last few times, she’d been good about stopping him before it got to that point, but she now had two obstacles in her way. That woman and boy were proving to be quite the buffer.

Before, she’d just barge into his quarters at night and force him to listen to her, it usually worked if she caught it early enough. Now though, he was harboring that woman and child in his room and if she tried to force his hand around them, he’d strip the skin from her bones. She couldn’t get him during the morning because that boy hopped around him like a little puppy. She thought about disregarding his orders to stay on the main deck, but punishment ran the risk of losing respect of the crew. As first mate she couldn’t run that risk.

She sighed, she would have wait this out and hope he was handling himself as well as he appeared to be.

……….

**Past…**

**A large rectangular table was set to the nines with a feast of large variety. There was food from all over the world on the table. Dumplings from the people of the empire. Gumbo from the people of the swamps. Spicy meats from the people of the desert. Sweets from all over. There was enough food to feed a village and it was all for three people, a man, a woman and a small child.**

**The man and woman glanced at each other with worried looks. This was the fifth day in a row their child refused eat. They were hoping the large amount food would entice the child, but the girl didn’t even glance at any of it. Instead she sat, blanking staring at the ceiling, growing thinner with each passing minute.**

**It was clear pickiness was not the problem, since the child would choke down anything they ordered her to eat. They couldn’t keep doing that. They couldn’t keep forcing her to eat without knowing why she wouldn’t. No, preference wasn’t the problem, but something was and they had to figure out before the girl got any skinner.**

**“Emma?” the woman finally decided to broach. The girls head tilted a bit, but that was the only acknowledgment the woman got. Her child hardly ever responded to her name. “tell us what’s wrong darling, please, we hate to see you this way”**

**Dull green eyes found hers. The woman’s heart ached looking at those eyes. A four-year old’s eyes should never look so lifeless. Boney cheeks pulled taunt as the child pursed her lips.**

**“Everyone keeps calling me the wrong thing” the girl admitted gravely. The man and woman glanced at each other again. Were people calling their child names?**

**“What do you mean baby girl?” the man asked. The girls face screwed up tightly.**

**“That!! Why does everyone call me a girl?!”**

**The woman chuckled, relieved. This was what the whole hunger strike was about? a silly misunderstanding because her baby didn’t know what gender was. “darling, they call you that because you _are_ a girl” she explained. She frowned when the little girls face darkened.**

**“No, I’m not!” the girl spat. The man and woman blinked, unsure of how to handle this outburst. On the one hand, this was the first time in weeks their child had shown any type of emotion. On the other, they weren’t prepared for such a violent reaction to nothing and had no idea how to handle it.**

**“You’re not?” the man asked after a moment of shock.**

**“No! I’m a boy!” the woman’s mouth dropped open and the man frowned.**

**“Emma, sweety, you are not a boy”**

**“I am too!!!”**

**They tried to convince the child that she was not a boy, but each attempt was stubbornly shot down. The child knew about anatomy and even pointing out her lacking the right appendage didn’t deter her belief in being a boy.**

**“that’s enough!!!” the man shouted. He would listen to this nonsense no more. “you are a girl and that’s final, now eat your food and go to your room!!!” he watched angerly as his child slipped away again, heated green eyes turning dull and blank once more.**

**This time when he ordered her to eat, she didn’t. No amount of yelling or screaming would work. She didn’t react even when he ripped her violently from her chair and shook her. He only stopped when his wife begged him too, taking their daughter from him and cradle the child to her chest**

**“Emma, darling, mommy and daddy are sorry, baby, please talk to us again” the woman begged, but it was futile. The girl had already stopped listening for the day.**

**…..Present**

Emmerik screwed his eyes shut and shook his head. Where had that come from? he had no idea why he had just thought of that. That memory was so old, he shouldn’t have even been able to remember it. It was extremely unsettling.

“I need a drink” he grunted, wiping at his forehead. It was hot. The sun was probably getting to him. That and that woman. Her little episode last week had really done a number on him, bringing up a memory he’d much rather forget and leaving him in a foul mood.

Thinking about her only furthered his bad mood. He felt out of depth with her. He just didn’t know how to handle her. Although, the glaring had stopped, which was nice, the flinching had not. He thought that after that night where she mistook him for King Leopold, that she would understand that he wouldn’t hurt her. But it seemed that night had only reinforced her fear. Now she seemed to flinch even more and he hated it.

He wasn’t that type of man and he wanted her to understand that, despite their ill feelings toward each other.

“Lucas!” he barked, gesturing to the wheel. He suddenly really needed that drink. Ruby ran up in a hurry and he ignored her attempt at quick conversation, he knew what she would say and he didn’t want to hear it.

…….

Regina was in his office, when he entered. She was in the middle of straightening some of the bottles and knickknacks on his desk. She jumped when he approached the desk and grabbed a bottle of rum.

Emmerik scowled and put the bottle back down. Had he been in a better mood, he probably wouldn’t have reacted this way, but seeing her do that, made his anger flair up.

His body reacted before his mind could and he roughly gripped her waist, sitting her atop his desk. Hands steady on her waist, lips to her ear, he sneered. “stop dancing around like imma do something to ya, I don’t want you”

Something in Regina was offended at the prospect of him not wanting her, though she couldn’t tell why. Perhaps, in a way, she felt he was saying she wasn’t worthy of someone like him, a lowly pirate. Whatever the reason, it drove her to surge forward and smash their lips together in a heated kiss.

Chills ran down her spine and her heart felt like thunder in her chest as they both fought for dominance. She moaned as a hand roughly palmed at her breast, trailing hers over muscular shoulders and down an equally muscular back. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer and tugged his shirt from his pants to trace hard abs. One of her hands traveled up, stopping at a thin line of raised skin just before the pecks. She traced it, not noticing the body pressed to hers tensing until it jerked away from her.

“get out” Emmerik growled suddenly, making her gasp in surprise. He looked petrified and she couldn’t tell why so she tried reaching for him.

“Em-”

“ ** _I said_ , get the fuck out**” his voice was darker and lower than she thought it could even get and it scared her enough to scramble to the door. She slipped out just as a rum bottle smashed into the wall beside the door.

……

Having heard the loud clash of glass shattering against the wall, Ruby quickly signaled for Graham to take the wheel and marched down the stairs. She got to the opening of the captain’s quarters just as a startled Regina was stumbling out of the door. The look on the other woman’s face made her see red, she just knew the woman had done something. She angerly grabbed the woman’s shirt and slammed her into the wall.

“what did you do?” she sneered in Regina’s face

“he…i..i don’t know” Regina stumbled over her words, trying to process what had happened and keep herself from becoming emotional. She didn’t do anything wrong so why was she being met with all this hostility?

“of course, you don’t, you stupid girl” Ruby scoffed and pushed her aside. She’d figure out herself and punish the woman later.

Ruby entered the cabin and was met instantly with a warm body pressing her against the wall. Desperate lips attacked hers in a pleading manor. She pulled back with a gasp. “I thought we-” Emmerik cut her off with another demanding kiss.

“I know, I promised I wouldn’t ask this of you anymore but-”

“you need me, I understand”

“I shouldn’t use you like this; you don’t deserve this” he gasped, frantically prepping her skin kisses.

“I want this” she said and pressed their lips back together.

……..

Regina had to get off this ship. It wasn’t safe. These people were crazy and violent for no reason. Just what she’d expect from pirates.

“one more week” she whispered to herself. They’d make it to their stop in a week and she wouldn’t have to tiptoe around that confusing man anymore. A week. A week and she and Henry would be free.

She wandered aimlessly below deck. She needed to get away from that office and that man. Why had she kissed him? What had possessed her to kiss a filthy pirate? Why did he affect her so much? She didn’t know the answers to these questions. This past week had been so confusing. First, she cries into his chest all night and now she kisses him. What was wrong with her?

“Oi, girl!” a gruff voice interrupts her musing. She looks up to see the old lady from the kitchen coming from the cargo hold with a large sack of potatoes. “quit dilly dallying, comere and grab these”

“yes ma’am” she rushes over to take the heavy bag from the woman.

“don’t call me ma’am, I ain’t old yet”

Regina doesn’t know how to respond to that so she just nods. She follows the old woman into the kitchen, where she’s promptly pushed onto a stool and handed a potato peeler. She’s never peeled potatoes before, but the woman walks out the door before she can say as much, so she starts peeling. Its awkward and she nicks herself a few times, but manages to get a decent handling on the task and not cut off any fingers.

The woman comes back moments later with a large bottle of wine and two men. One man places the large hunk of meat he’s carrying on the counter and leaves. The other man waits for the old woman’s instructions, holding a pail of milk in one hand and basket of vegetables in the other.

“put down that basket” the woman grunts as she lights a fire beneath her cauldron. “pour the milk in ‘ere and go get me some butter” the man pours the milk into the large pot and rushes off to get some butter. When he returns, the woman tells him to toss a hunk in and go away.

Regina grimaces when the woman pours the entire bottle of wine in. Milk, butter and wine did not seem like a good mix of flavors. The woman sees her grimace and she quickly looks away and focuses on her task, least another pirate attacks her today. The woman ignored her and began digging through cabinets and drawers, tossing this and that in as she found it. Regina was really skeptical of this meal now, it looked like the woman was tossing the whole kitchen into it.

“girl, stop gawking at me and cut those veggie’s” the woman barks after twenty minutes of Regina trying to discretely watch her. Regina startles and quickly sets to the new task. The woman watches her with pursed lips. “what did that idiot boy do to ya?” she asked after a moment of scrutiny.

“pardon?” Regina asked, she had no idea what boy the old lady was talking about.

“the cap’n, what he do to ya?”

Oh, the captain. Her face soured. What didn’t he do to her? He was awful. He yelled at her. He shoved her around. He threatened her and her son. He made them both work. He was just plain mean.

But…but then he did things that confused her. He played with Henry in the mornings. He brought them breakfast and ate with them. He let Henry talk about this and that and never got irritated with the fast pace and limited speech. He kept any unruly men away from her….He talked her down from her nightmare. Soothed her, even though she held a knife to his throat. Looked at her with eyes that understood. Held her while she slept.

Those moments didn’t make sense. They were out of character for a pirate. She just didn’t understand him at all.

Suddenly, she found herself telling the older woman everything. Her fears. Her misery. Her confusion. What had happened in the captain’s office. Just everything. She wanted someone to hear her. Someone to tell her it was alright to feel the way she did. That it was right to fear the captain because he was a pirate and a man. She wanted understanding, comradery.

What she got was completely different.

…….

Emmerik stared blankly at the celling of his bunk. He was lying flat on his back, Ruby’s naked body curled around his partially clothed one.

He sighed, “Why?” he asked, his tone void of any emotion. “Why don’t I just die already?”

Ruby paused in the middle of swirling circles into his chest and sat up to look at him, “Because she’s out there somewhere, your queen”

He sighed again, he didn’t understand how she could put up with this, why she put up with this. “I can’t keep hurting you this way” it would be easier for the both of them if he just died.

“I let you and I’ll keep letting you” she pecks him on the lips to cement the point.

“why?”

“because I love you” she says simply.

“well, you shouldn’t” he scoffed.

“well, excuse me” she snarked, he couldn’t help but snort at her sarcastic tone. “oh, did you just snort? Does my unrequited love amuse thee?”

**Past….**

**Two men stood at the wheel of a ship. One was slumped lazily over the pegs, while the other was leaning against the rail behind the wheel. The first man was amusingly watching the second one pick at a bowl of gruel and hardtack.**

**“Emmerik stop being such a snob” the first man chuckled as the other gagged.**

**Emmerik glared at him, “why should I? this shit is gross” he grunted.**

**“If you’re going to be a pirate, you’re going to have to lower your standards a bit”**

**“Hardtack isn’t even food!! It’s harder than cobblestones and it taste like shit” Emmerik exclaimed.**

**The other man rolled his eyes, “whatever, your highness” he droned, using the nickname most of the crew had taken to calling him. Although, no one had been able to pry the past from the boy, it was clear Emmerik had come from much higher birth than most of them.**

**“Don’t call me that, I am not royalty, I am not a prince” Emmerik predictably growled. The other man smirked, Emmerik was always so touchy about that nickname.**

**“Oh?” the man slipped around the wheel, an idea popping into his head “So, when I kill my father and become the pirate king, you’re not going to be my little pirate prince?”**

**Emmerik snorted at the ridiculous title, “you’re such an idiot Neal”**

**“Oh? Did my little pirate prince just snort?”**

**“Don’t call me your little pirate prince, you gaywad”**

**Neal grinned and tackled him with a hug, “but my gayness is only for you my prince” he placed a sloppy, wet kiss in Emmerik’s ear. Emmerik squealed, dropping his food as he tried to push the other man away from him.**

**“agh!!! Neal, get off of me, you’re so stupid”**

**Neal pulled away, laughing. He got back behind the wheel and gave Emmerik a moment to calm down before he continued their conversation. When Emmerik seemed composed, Neal got serious, making sure the other man knew the tone had changed, “You know” he began, his tone caught Emmerik’s attention immediately, “As my brother, you will be prince. With your help, I will defeat my father and when you’re ready to let me in, I’ll help you defeat your demons too. We’ll rule the sea together and make history”**

**…..Present**

“ahh” Emmerik groaned as yet another memory assaulted him. Why was this happing right now? There was already too much stuff going on at the moment. He didn’t need this right now.

“you see, this is what happens when you don’t let me talk you down after that dream, you’re having flashback’s, aren’t you?” He glared at her, sometimes he really hated how well she knew him. “this one was about Neal, wasn’t it?”

“I don’t want to talk about him” he huffed.

“he told me to take care of you, ya know?”

“Ruby” he warned.

“okay” Ruby surrendered. She sighed, ran her hand down his stomach and teased the edge of his long johns. He shot her another glare and she rolled her eyes; she knew better than to go any further without his permission. “tell me what happened” she pleaded, tracing his bellybutton.

“I overacted” he sighed and told her everything that had happened. He told her about the dream and about waking to Regina holding the letter opener to his throat. Told her how Regina had mistaken him for the king and how he had pushed down his panic to console her. Told her how Regina had cried on his chest and how he held her the entire night. Told her how vulnerable Regina looked in the moonlight. Then he told her about today and how he had practically forced Regina’s hand and how she had touched his chest scars and he had panicked.

Ruby frowned, it was a lot to process. She was shocked to hear he was able to fight down his panic from his dream, he had never been able to do that before. She didn’t know how to comment on that without upsetting him so she decided to start with the scars.

She brought her hand up to trace the two thin lines beneath his pecks. “why did you panic? They’ve been gone a long time, there’s nothing here, but the two scars”

“I don’t know” he groaned “I just thought she would see them and say something”

“you ‘ave a million scars, most are more noticeable than these”

“she touched them though”

“okay” she decided to be blunt “you could have pulled away, you’ve rejected plenty of women, myself included”

“I know!” He groaned, throwing an arm over his face. “I should apologize, shouldn’t I”

Ruby’s frown deepened, “do you think you should apologize?”

“She’ll probably never tell me what she knows about the White Kingdom if I don’t”

“I guessed it’s settled then” Ruby hummed, lying her head on his chest to hide her expression. Emmerik hardly ever apologized for anything. She wondered if this was really about wanting intel or was this about something else entirely.

…….

Regina left the kitchen with a confused frown. She was carrying a tray with three meals. It was around the time she, Henry and the captain all had dinner together and the old woman, Granny, had sent her off to do that.

She couldn’t get the odd story the older woman had told her out of her head. Instead of agreeing or disagreeing with her earlier like she wanted her too, Granny told her a story, an old fairy tale from the sound of it.

The story was about two boys. Both boys lived very hard lives until they met each other. Their bond was so strong, they became brothers. They brought light into each other’s lives and promised to always stay together. Sadly, their demons caught up to them and tore the boys apart. One boys fear of his father drove him to death. The other boy had more demons, one that striped him of his worth, another that held him captive in his body, and a third that attached itself to him after his brother had died. Left behind to deal with his pain, the lone boy took his life and faded away from the world.

The story was tragic and sad and Regina had no idea why Granny had chosen to tell her it. It had noting to do with what they were talking about at all. Although, it was a good distraction and spending time with Granny was much better than spending time with the person she was about to go eat dinner with.

…….

Regina gave him the silent treatment all throughout dinner. Emmerik did his best not to scream. He dissevered it this time, he knew that, but it still drove him crazy. Now, he was just waiting for her to come back from taking the tray to the kitchen.

She came back ten minutes later and made a v-line for the bedroom. He grabbed her wrist before she could get their and she gasped at the sudden contact.

“Regina…” he started, stopping when he noticed her try to reach for her boot, “you know, I didn’t let you keep that knife just so you could stab me for trying to talk to you” he huffed. He nodded when she stopped reaching and continued. “look, I just wanted to say sorry for the way I acted earlier, okay?”

She looked shocked for a moment before she pursed her lips and nodded, “Fine”

“right” he resisted the urge to scream again and abruptly turned on his heels to leave.

“wait, where are you going?”

He glanced back at her, wondering why she cared. “I’m going to bunk with Lucas” he explained. For a moment, her icy exterior broke and she looked worried, but she quickly covered it back up.

“Oh, well…good!” she hmphed and promptly entered the bedroom, leaving him standing in the middle of his office confused.

What the fuck was that about?


	6. Another unwelcome passenger

**The woman stood in the doorway watching her little girl stare listlessly at the ceiling. After weeks of seeing priests and healers, they still hadn’t found a cure for their daughter’s wickedness. With each passing day they were losing more and more of the girl and the woman had enough of it. She didn’t care that her child was different, her husband did, she just wanted Emma to look at her again.**

**“what is your name?” she bit her lip hoping the child would take the bait. No response. “you’re a boy, right?”**

**Suspicious green eyes met her pleading ones, but she didn’t get an answer. A rather torturous meeting with a priest made the child weary of anyone who said they believed her.**

**“you’re a boy” she said, this time with a bit more finality in her voice. The change of tone caught the child’s attention and the little girl sat up to stare at her with narrowed eyes.**

**“is this a trick?” the girl asked and the woman instantly rushed to the child’s side.**

**“no, darling” she soothed, running her hand over a sunken cheek. She could tell her daughter was still skeptical so she jumped back to her original plan. “what is your name?”**

**“my name?”**

**“yes, if you are a boy than I can no longer call you Emma, so what is your name?”**

**“oh” shocked eyes bore into hers and the woman’s heart began to pound at the small beacon of hope shining in those usually dull eyes. Was this it? Did she fix it? Was she finally going get her child back? She almost cried out when those little eyes dulled again.**

**“Mommy won’t be mad, dear” she assured watching the girl bite rather savagely at her bottom lip. She could see the fear in those eyes. She didn’t want that; she wanted the hope back. She wanted those little eyes to shine once more. Gently, she eased the little lip from between clamped teeth. “please, baby, please trust mommy” she pleaded.**

**“will…will you name me? Like you did my other name?”**

**“Of course, darling” the woman breathed, instantly hungry for that tiny little flame of hope. “hmm…let’s see, what should I name such a handsome, brave boy?” she teased, earning herself a small quirk of the lips. God, she had to get this right. She needed to fill more life into those hopeful little eyes. She racked her brain for the perfect name until finally, with a start, it hit her. “Oh, I know! What about Emmerik? from your favorite book”**

**The boy’s eyes lit up and the most brilliant of smiles spread across his face, “A pirate’s name!!!” he squealed, overjoyed. “that’s the best name ever, I love it!!!”**

**The woman sobbed, overwhelmed with the amount of life suddenly bursting from her child. Why haven’t she done this sooner? Had she had known such simple words could cause such a powerful reaction, she would have done this a month ago.**

**Quickly, she pulled him into her arms and held him tight. So, her baby girl was not a girl, but a boy. The situation would take some time to adjust to, but she’d do anything to keep that smile on her beautiful little boy’s face. Her boy. Her son.**

**“Emmerik”**

**………….**

“Emmerik”

Emmerik grunted and curled tightly into Ruby, inhaling the sweet nutty smell of wolfsbane. Eyes screwed shut, he banished the images of the beautiful green eyed brunette and young blonde-haired boy back into their mental chest where they belonged.

“Emmerik!”

“hm?”

“your puppy’s here” Ruby groaned and he groaned as well. Henry had not taken to Emmerik’s sudden relocation and, just like his mother, had been giving him the silent treatment ever since. Yet, the boy still sought him out every morning to have an awkwardly tense breakfast, where he only talked to his mother and they both glared at Emmerik. Both brunettes were annoyingly stubborn. He cracked open an eye and, sure enough, angry little green eyes were glaring at him. He groaned again and rolled onto his back and closed his eyes.

“hmm” Henry hummed angrily. That’s all Emmerik had been getting for the week. If he wasn’t so annoyed, he’d be impressed with the five-year old’s dedication.

“I’m not hungry, lad”

“hmmmm”

“maybe if you spoke to me, I would know what you were saying”

“hmph” Henry just stomped his feet and went into an annoying humming rant “hm-hm-hm-hm-hmm-hm... hmmm”

“Emmerik, go eat with him before I toss him off the ship” Ruby growled, climbing over the man to get away from the boy’s buzzing sounds.

“fine” Emmerik rolled his eyes and slid out of the bunk. “you better be up before we reach port” he warned before scooping the boy up and exiting the room.

……

Once they were in view of Pleasure Island it was clear Killian had most likely departed. They circled the island just to be sure, but there was no sign of the other pirate’s ship. Emmerik and Ruby decided the best course of action would be to divide and conquer. She would try to locate a map to the swamps while he’d checked a few places Killian would be if he were on the island. They would row to shore to avoid wasting any unnecessary time docking and would leave before nightfall.

That left them where they were now, him, Ruby, a few men to restock supply, and Regina and Henry all crammed into a row boat. The last two had been an afterthought. One minute he had been mulling over the plan and the next he was staring at Regina and deciding he couldn’t stand looking at her in that ugly brown shirt and tattered dress any longer.

Regina frowned, reluctantly letting Emmerik carry her from the row boat to dry sand and watching as he retrieved Henry. Although, she was confused by the captain’s decision to bring her onto the island, she was also secretly elated. Him bringing her made her plans to escape much easier than she had anticipated. All she had to do now was wait for the perfect moment and dash off.

So distracted by the promise of freedom, she almost fell when she reached for her son the captain jerked him back fixing her with a hard glare.

“you and your son will be back here by sunset” he ordered sternly before handing the boy over. Her mouth dropped open in shock.

“you’re letting us go on our own?” Henry asked innocently, voicing Regina’s thoughts.

“aye boy we have business that is no place for a lady and a babe” the captain confirmed.

“and if we don’t come back?” Regina asked making the pirate shoot her another hard stare.

“you _will_ come back, boy, you make sure of that, ya hear?”

“yes sir” the boy chirped, his feud with the pirate seemingly over.

“here, buy you some proper clothes and lunch” Swan said handing Regina a coin purse. With that, the group parted leaving Regina and Henry to themselves.

…….

**Emmerik’s pov**

“so…you really think she’ll be back?” Ruby asked. I ignored her in favor of watching an old woman making sweets at a stall. The old lady smiled up at me as she caught my gaze, holding up a piece for me to come sample. I walked over, taking the sample and purchased a bag as well. “really Swan?” Ruby questioned, gesturing to the bag of candy.

“they’re for the boy” I answered with a shrug.

“again, how do you know they’ll be back” Ruby exclaimed “you gave them money to escape”

“Ruby, go find the map, I need to go ask around for Killian” Ruby pouted a bit at being dismissed, but trotted off toward the tavern with a smile a moment later. I shook my head, trouble that girl was, I’d probably end up doing both our jobs and dragging her drunk ass to the ship. I’ll worry about her later though. Right now, I needed to find out if Killian was near.

…..

The slums of this city were every bit the dump I remembered. Rats and homeless lived as one amongst the alleyways. Dirty children ran amuck, probably planning their next victim to scam. I made sure my coin purse was well hidden as I eyed the disgusting babes, all of them strays no doubt. A shrill whistle caught my attention. Looking to my left, a figure disappeared around a corner. A quick glance around assured me no one was watching as I slipped into the alley.

“Smee” I greet as I round the corner. I watch the man glance both ways, that ridiculous hat flopping as he did so “we’re alone, speak”

“cap-captain sw-sw-Swan” Smee stuttered, quickly irritating me.

“quit your stuttering you insufferable rat and tell me where Hook is” I growl, grabbing the front of his shirt.

“quick to anger as always Captain Swan” the man chuckled nervously before saying “the captain, um, has left already”

“he wouldn’t leave his precious little pet behind” I sneered and he let out another nervous laugh.

“the captain said you’d say that” he reached into his jacket and pulled out a large coin purse “for my passage on your ship”

“great, so we have to take you” I snatch the coin purse, shove him away and storm out the alley “we have errands” I shout.

…..

“who’s the woman?” Smee whispers over my shoulder. I gag as his breath washes over my face.

“get your bile breath outta my face, you nasty beast” I shove him away and he lets out his nervous laugh “shut up” I growl as I turn back to look at Regina and Henry.

Henry was now sporting a pair of black trousers and a loose long-sleeved red tunic while Regina now wore a pair of black leather pants, knee high riding boots and a white laced front blouse. Regina was gesturing to an elegant looking purple coat with black paisley and gold stitching. From the looks of it, the money I gave her wasn’t enough and she was trying to haggle for a better price.

“are ya going to pursue her cap’n” again, Smee was over my shoulder and again I shove him.

“Smee, you come into my space again and you’ll be matching Hook” I threatened.

“right cap’n” Smee chuckled. Ahh!!! If he laughed one more time, I was going to strangle him. God, what was Killian thinking leaving this fucking idiot with me. He knew I couldn’t stand Smee’s mannerisms. Did he honestly believe I could make it to him without killing his first mate?

Regina and the boy where gone when I turned around “damn you Smee”

…..

Regina huffed, glaring at the greedy vender before stomping a few feet away. She shouldn’t have tried to waste their money on a damn coat anyway. She needed it to get off the island not purchase pretty things. Right, back to her escape plan, she thought, trying not to think about the reason she had the gold. She glanced around, trying to decide her next course of action.

“mommy, is it almost sunset?” Henry asked for the sixth time. She rolled eyes. She wasn’t quite sure what had broken her son’s resolve, the excitement of a new place or his task, but she wished he’d go back to being mad at the pirate. She really didn’t want to think about that man, especially since they were never going to see him again after today.

“Henry, this is the final time I am going to say this, we are n-” she stopped midsentence as her gaze fell on something that made her heart drop. There, a foot away, on a wooden post, was a wanted poster… _her_ wanted poster.

**WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE: QUEEN REGINA OF THE WHITE KINGDOM**

**CRIMES: MURDER OF THE KING & KIDNAPPING OF THE PRINCE  
REWARD: 1,000,000 GOLD PIECES**

What?

Shakily, she ripped it down and shoved it in her pocket before Henry could see and glanced around for wandering eyes. Her eyes widened when she saw what appeared to be two figures hunched behind some crates. Heart in her stomach, she snagged Henry’s shoulder and began marching back the way they came.

“Henry, come” she ordered, picking up her pace.

“where are we going?”

“back to the ship”

“I did it, I convinced you!” Henry cheered.

“yes, now come my prince”

…..

“oh, oh, cap’n look, look, it’s that woman!” Smee babbled, grabbing the captain’s arm as they neared the rowboat. Emmerik grit his teeth and stuck his foot out to trip up the other man.

“that’s it, you’re swimming back” he growled, readjusting Ruby’s body, which was thrown over his shoulder. He was pissed, not only was he right about Ruby ending up drunk, it took four whole hours for Smee to kindly inform him that Hook knew where the swamps were.

“haha, very funny cap’n” Smee scrambled to catch back up.

Emmerik sucked his teeth and focused his eyes ahead. He smirked a little when he saw Henry skipping around his mother, the boy always skipped or trotted about.

“Cap’n Swan!” Henry shouted when he caught sight of them. Emmerik had to brace himself for impact as the little boy proceeded to run full tilt at him.

“hello lad” Emmerik chuckled, ruffling the boy’s hair. “speaking to me again?”

“yes!” he tugged Emmerik the rest of the way to the boat, letting him hand off Ruby to one of the other men before launching himself into the captain’s arms. Emmerik carried the boy over to his mother whose back was to them.

“came back I see” he frowned when Regina barely glanced his way and wrapped her arms around her stomach.

“mommy didn’t want to come back, but I got her to”

“guess I owe ya a reward” he dug out the little sack of candy from earlier and handed it over to the excited boy. “share some with August, okay?”

“Of course!” Henry shouted, holding the bag to his chest like it was something precious. Emmerik smiled, ruffling the boy’s hair once more before setting him down.

“go get on the rowboat and don’t sit near that man with the floppy red hat”

“okay!” Henry skipped away, leaving Regina and Emmerik to themselves.

“so, you didn’t run away”

“no” Regina answered, looking over her shoulder.

“good, didn’t think you’d be brave to enough board another pirate ship anyhow” he chuckled at her confused look “this is a pirates haven lass”

“you left me alone on an island full of pirates” she scowled.

“aye”

She huffed and looked away. Of course, her freedom from earlier had been nothing, but an illusion. There was no way she would board another pirate ship, especially since she already didn’t like the one she was on. She sighed, she supposed that didn’t matter now.

“I have conditions” she stated, finally turning around.

“what?”

“a couple of weeks ago, you said to tell you when I decided who my friend was, I decided”

“Ah” he hummed, a grin spreading across his face. “we can discuss your conditions later on the ship” he turned around, listening to her soft footsteps follow him to the rowboat.

“okay”

“oh, and Regina?”

“yes?” he paused, turned back to her and tossed the satchel over his shoulder at her. She caught it with a grunt and a glare which dropped in surprise when she saw what was inside. Shocked eyes met his as she pulled out the purple coat with black paisley and gold stitching.

“welcome to my crew” Emmerik chuckled and left to board the rowboat.


	7. Author's note

Dear readers,

I apologize for the long wait without any sort of update. I really enjoy reading all of your comments and appreciate all the love and support I have received on this story so far. Unfortunately, I’ve been incredibly busy since the last update and haven’t been able to find the time to write for this fic. That being said, I think it’s best I put this story on a brief hiatus until I can find the time to truly work on it. Once again, sorry to anyone who was really looking forward to the next chapter. Hopefully, I’ll be back at it soon.

Sincerely,

FoolishPrince.


	8. A shanty for the lady

The announcement of her new employment was a rather shocking event. Though some grumbled about docked pay and sin, a surprising number of men cheered and clapped. Regina balked as she was met with congratulations and pats to the back. Men, who just mere hours ago were her captors, welcomed her with open arms. No one seemed to pay mind to the fact that she had been awful to them, openly cursing them and their lifestyle throughout the course of the month. No, instead tales of feast and good rum were quickly regaled. Of tavern parties and food fit for kings. Of the captain’s fair treatment of new recruits and the crew itself. Of adventures took and those to be taken. All this done whist they all worked, setting sail towards a destination only the annoying man with the floppy red hat knew.

A man, everyone seemed to know and no one seemed to like. It didn’t take long for Regina to figure out why. The man was a bumbling idiot. He rambled a constant stream of stuttered nonsense, asked questions that were none of his business, and entered everyone’s personal space. He was terribly clumsy, tripping over his own fat feet every few minutes, yet he somehow managed to dodge the well-aimed boot Emmerik had tossed at his head. And the laugh, the laugh that made everyone cringe and Emmerik’s teeth audibly clench. If Regina thought the captain’s behavior was brutal before, it was nothing compared to how he reacted to Smee.

“Are you a fancy woman, miss?” once again, the man had ignored Swans orders to stay away from her and snuck over her shoulder to ask yet another obnoxious question. Regina sneered, rearing back to tell off the man for insinuating that she was a woman of such lowly stature.

“I am not a whore! you disgusting, flatulent, pig eared piece of shit!!” she growled, pushing the man to the ground. A hush ran over the deck and Regina swallowed nervously, realizing she had just behaved in a very unladylike fashion and attacked a man. Although, she had yelled at the captain and gotten in his face before, she knew better than to lay her hands on a man. She lowered her eyes to the deck, clenching her fist at her sides, thinking she was about to get in trouble until someone broke the silence with a loud boisterous laugh.

“You ‘ear that lads? The lady’s already got her sailors tongue!” that man exclaimed, prompting the rest of the crew into laughter.

“Regina!” Emmerik called and she tensed, “bring me my boot, will ya?”

Regina grabbed the boot from earlier and approached the quarterdeck with hesitation. From what she observed, no one, but Ruby and Graham were allowed on the quarterdeck. They were second and third in command so it made sense that they would be allowed up there. Regina had no status yet; she was barely a part of the crew. So, for her to be called up there must mean she was really in trouble.

“He called me a fancy woman” she explained as soon as she was close enough to be heard. Trouble or not, she wasn’t going to apologize for being insulted. The captain raised a brow, smirking as he held out his hand for his boot.

“Thank you, lass” he said as he slipped it on.

“I won’t apologize”

“You won’t?”

“No”

“Good”

“Good?”

“Let me tell ya a little secret” he chuckled beckoning her a bit closer, “I fucking hate Smee. We all fucking hate Smee. Every time we see Smee we hope it’ll be our last, but the motherfucker just doesn’t die. So, if he comes near ya again, I want you to do that again. He’s not one of ours so do your worst. Just don’t kill him because I need him to lead me to his captain so I can beat Killian’s ass”

“One of ours” Regina repeated a little surprised.

“Aye, you’re a part of the crew or have you changed your mind already?”

“No”

“Good” he nodded. “I apologize that we didn’t have time to throw you and Henry a proper celebration back at Pleasure island. I have urgent business that needs to be handled, but I’ll make it up to ya aft‘wards”

“Celebration?”

“Aye, it is a great honor to join my crew. Thus, you are treated to a proper feast the day you join and the day you leave”

“Oh, you don’t hav-”

“I do. It’s to show my respect and appreciation for my crew and as a thanks for pledging your loyalty and service”

“But the only reason I’m joining is because we have a common enemy”

“Aye and that’s enough for me” she still didn’t look convinced. “It’s my tradition to do so and you’ll soon learn pirate traditions are very important”

“Oi! Cap’n Swan? Cap’n? Is she the one? Is she the lady you’ve been looking for?” Smee called from the lower deck. Emmerik’s face darked and the boot he had just received, was once again tossed at the other man’s head. This time the boot hit true and Smee was knocked back onto the deck. “Haha, very funny cap’n” Smee laughed as he searched for his glasses.

“What the fuck is he laughing at?” Emmerik muttered under his breath, turning back to Regina. He smirked when he noticed her warily eyeing Smee. He couldn’t blame her. Smee was a lunatic. “Listen lass, why don’t cha go down and help Granny? Tell her to make red boar. If the waters are calm, we’ll throw ya a bit of a party tonight. I’m sure the boys are dying to teach you a shanty or two”

“Okay” Regina couldn’t agree quicker. She did not want to be near Smee any longer.

“And toss my boot back up. This deck is fucking hot”

…….

“So, she is to be a part of our crew now?” Rudy asked as she took her place beside him. There was a hint of attitude in her tone. He didn’t approve of it, especially since she had taken her sweet time sobering up. He also didn’t approve of the jacket she was wearing. A Chinese style lotus silk coat with ivory buttons. A coat, he knew for a fact had been locked in a chest on the Black Swan.

“What’s the excuse this time?” he paid no mind to her question nor her tone. Ruby had always been finicky with new people, especial women, entering his life. Her utter loyalty and devotion to him and his mental health was the reason he was alive today and he was eternally grateful for her because of that. He knew she wouldn’t let her guard down around Regina until the other woman did something to earn her respect and he was okay with that.

“I was offered a drink. It would have looked desperate and suspicious if I refused”

“Ah, of course… and we’re just going to pretend you don’t have on my emerald jacket right now?”

“Oh, this old thing?”

“No, Lucas. That isn’t just any old thing. That was a gift from the Chinese Emperor and I expect it to be locked up in my wardrobe by the end of tonight”

“But you only wear it when we go to the Empire and we haven’t been there in nearly eight years” Ruby whined.

“That wasn’t a suggestion Ruby. That fabric does not like moisture or sunlight”

“Fine” she huffed, shrugging off the elegant coat.

“And if I find out you have my jade and gold sword; I’m going to stab you with it”

“Pfft” she snorted. She knew not to touch that. The preservation wards on that thing alone were worth more gold than she’d ever seen in her life. Not to mention, the fire and strengthening wards made her itch so she couldn’t have taken it even if she wanted to.

“Oi! Miss Ruby. It’s Smee. Remember me Miss Ruby?”

“Hm” Ruby grunted in distaste. “And we have Smee…what a delight” she deadpanned with distain.

“A lot happens when you’re sober to see it” Emmerik grumbled. She could tell he was still displeased with her antics and this sudden turn of events.

“So…how do we feel about this?” she broached cautiously.

“You know how we feel about this. Snow’s made a move. We get a stowaway that seems to be running from her. Killian has been dead silent and he left us Smee. Coincidences don’t happen to us Ruby and you know it”

“So, we’re in agreement then…and Smee?”

“Irritating, destructive, and…purposely vague. The man may be an idiot, but he’s nothing if not loyal to his captain. If he knows anything at all, it’s clear he’s been given strict instructions not to share”

“I figured as much. We have a problem then”

“Mmhm, somethings brewing on the horizon and I have a feeling I’m not going to like it when the storm hits”

……..

“Taste this” Granny barked, shoving a spoonful of sauce in her mouth before Regina could express her concerns of tasting something that had raw meat in it.

“Mm” she hummed involuntarily when an explosion of flavor hit her tongue. “This taste like a meal I used have at my father’s cas-cottage! I used to have something like this at his cottage” Regina bit her tongue at her near slip up. She knew she would have to share her royal status with the captain. There was no way she could hide it from him if they stopped somewhere else with her wanted posters up. Of course, the crew would eventually find out, but Regina wasn’t ready to share that with them just yet.

If she caught on to the slip up, Granny didn’t show it. “Well?” the old woman grunted.

“Oh, um, it’s good. It could use a bit more spice, but it’s really good”

“What about now?”

“Good” Regina said, watching the woman whisk around the kitchen. “I didn’t know pirates ate such rich food” she commented.

Granny snorted, “they don’t”

“Why do we eat so well?”

“That boy..” Granny started, rolling her eyes as she thought of the person in question. “..The captain, won’t eat hardtack or gruel or any of the other slop you’d find on a ship. Has an iron will, that boy. Knows how not to listen to his stomach, can’t be starved out and trust me I tried” she chuckled then held up her thumb and pointer finger and held them two inches apart from each other. “Let ‘em get this thin around before I had to swallow my pride and learn to make the meals he’d stomach, stubborn little thing that he is”

“Oh” Regina frowned, wondering how the captain had developed such a refined palate. Food like this wasn’t often made in taverns.

“Don’t let this fool ya though. You regular lot won’t get meals like this every day. I’ve just been generous this month”

“Oh”

“But…if you tell the captain you want to work with me in the kitchen when he asks, you’ll get a portion of everything I make for ‘em”

It was more so a demand then a suggestion, but Regina wasn’t going to pass up doing something she had actually begun to enjoy. “Yes, ma’am”

“What I tell you about calling me ma’am” Granny warned before waving a dismissive hand her way. “I done with ya for now. go on back up there”

“Okay”

“Oh, and lass. If you see that runt and your babe, send ‘em down ‘ere”

“Okay”

…….

The moon had made it to the quarter mark and the ocean was calm so Emmerik gave the okay to bring up one of the nicer barrels of rum and to start preparations for a party. His men were in high spirits and made quick work of getting started, eager for the fun that was to come.

“Regina!” he called, spotting the lass emerge from below deck. He wanted to get her contract started while the crew set to work. He met her at the bottom of the stairs and beckoned for her to follow him to his office.

“Are we discussing my conditions now?”

“We’re drawing you up a contract. You may voice your conditions as we do so” he explained, raising a brow when she suddenly seemed to grow nervous. “Any questions before we begin?”

She nodded, there was one thing she had to ask before they got too far. “Why did you kill the prince of the White Kingdom?” she asked quietly, watching the man’s face very intently. She needed to know this. She needed to know that Henry was safe. If his goal was to wipeout the entire White line she couldn’t stay. She doubted he would spare Henry, even if he learned the truth behind her son’s line.

“ _I_ didn’t kill the White prince” Emmerik frowned, wondering why she was so intent on learning the dealings of his past. “What does that have to do with your contract?”

From what she could tell, he was telling the truth, but that didn’t make her any less nervous. He could still react badly to what she was about to show him. Swallowing heavily, she reached into her pocket and grabbed the crumbled piece of paper that had been weighing on her since she put it there. Wordlessly, she handed it over.

“What the hell is… this” He blinked as he unraveled the poster.

**…….**

**The young boy sat on the floor of the cold stone hallway staring blankly at the wall opposite to him. His fist clenched tightly at his knees as he listened to the angry voices drifting from the door beside him. They were fighting again, his mother and father, had been for hours now. He didn’t have to hear their words to know it was about him. It was always about him.**

**“You believe this shit too now?!!” the man barked.**

**“Just listen to me!!”**

**“So what? Am I supposed to fuck her future wife so my kingdom will carry on my line?!!”**

**The woman had enough and with a stern tone she threw back, “What’s better, A dead daughter or an alive son?!!”**

**“What are you saying Eva?” the man asked, fear suddenly in his voice.**

**“I’m saying he’s already stopped eating and we can handle that for now, but he’s going to grow older. He’s going to realize there are other ways to stop his pain. If this isn’t a faze Leopold, if he really is a boy and we force him to be a girl, he might decide his life is worthless. So…I’ll ask you again. Do you want a child whose life might be limited?”**

**“No, I want my child alive”**

**“Then go see him Leopold. Go meet your son and show him you still love him”**

**………**

“I didn’t it do. I left and took my son, but the king was very much alive when I did so” Regina’s panicked words snapped him back into focus and he blinked up at her.

“Oh, I know exactly who did this” He muttered darkly. Regina blinked.

“You know my mother?”

Emmerik frowned at her, “Your mother? why would your mother kill the king?”

“For power” Regina muttered just as darkly as he had.

“Well, I don’t know your mother, but I do know Snow white and this has her written all over it”

This time Regina frowned, “Snow white? Why would a fourteen-year-old want to kill her own father?”

Emmerik stared at her blankly, “I’m sorry, did you say fourteen?”

“Yes”

“Snow White is not fourteen” He corrected with a frown. He could see the question Regina’s eyes, but held his hand up. “I” he cleared his throat, “I need some time to think about this”

Regina opened her mouth to reply, but as soon as she did, the door to his office slammed open. Emmerik glared, ready to chew out the person bold enough to interrupt them, only to huff when he saw that it was Henry.

“Go back and knock lad” he ordered.

“K”

“We’ll…talk about this another day” He told Regina before fixing his attention on the little boy behind the door. “Come in, Henry”

“Cap’n, mommy!! There’s a fire outside!!!” the boy squealed, running up to Emmerik.

“What?!”

“He means the bond fire” Emmerik chuckled at Regina’s panicked face, his mood lightening just a bit. “It’s on an enchanted tarp” he added.

“Why is there a fire?” Henry asked.

“It’s up because we’re having a party for you and your mother”

“Why?”

Emmerik scooped the boy up and spun him, “Cause ye be pirates now, arr” he answered in an exaggerated tone, blowing a raspberry on the lad’s stomach.

Henry gasped and squealed before flipping upside down in the man’s hold to look at his mother. “That true mommy?”

Regina sighed dramatically, making her face look overly regretful. “Afraid so” she nodded, grinning when her son giggled at her theatrics. She had so many questions on what they just discussed, but for now, she would have to wait.

“You silly mommy. Let’s go to the pirate party!”

“Alright” Emmerik nodded, pulling Regina up from her chair. “Let’s go to the pirate party”

…….

The entire ship was abuzz with the noise of happy chatter. Regina observed everyone as they drank their rum and ate their meal. She laughed with the crew when Biscuit fell off the cannon ball he had been trying to sit on. Glared with them when Smee, who had been chained to the mast at some point of the night, stuttered his annoying nonsense. Giggled when she caught August and Henry, sitting at Emmerik’s feet, stealing bread from the man’s plate. Smiled when Emmerik huffed and handed his bread to the boys. It was surprising just how at ease she felt being around everyone on the ship.

“Alright, Alright. I think it’s time we sing our new crewmates some shanty’s!!!” Ruby announced with a mischievous light to her eyes. The crew cheered at her announcement. “And!!!” she added, waiting for everyone to settle down. “I think the captain should start us off” She finished, cackling evilly as she started an uproar of excited agreements.

“Oh no” Emmerik objected, glaring at the woman to his left.

“Aww, come on cap’n” someone begged.

“Yeah, you gotta start us off” Another added.

A few others added their pleas and Ruby smirked. “Sounds like the crew has spoken”

Emmerik glanced at Regina to his right, who raised a brow at him, before sighing. “Fine” he huffed and everyone cheered. “But just one!!”

“Alright you lot, you heard the man. What song should he sing?”

“The dance of woe!” Smee shouted from his spot.

Emmerik glared at him, “I am _not_ doing the dance of woe, especially with you on board” he growled.

“The siren bride?” someone else suggested.

Ruby rolled her eyes, “Come on, are you trying to put us to sleep? Don’t any of you have any good suggestions?"

A few more suggestions were made and rejected until Marco suggested, “A shanty for the lady?”

“Ah ha!! there you go old man. Now that’s something I could go for. What do you say Swan, A shanty for the lady?”

Emmerik hummed and raised a brow at her, “Are you gonna be my story teller?” he asked.

“Aren’t I always?”

“Alight” He sighed, leaning back in his seat as Henry climbed into his lap. “On your lead then”

Ruby grinned and began her part, “There once was a boy who lived in a small harbor town. The boy had not a copper to his name so he had no toys and barely any clothes and food was, but a distant memory to him most day. His only source of enjoyment was watching the ships come and go at the harbor and dreaming of the day he’d get to go with them. For he had only one wish in life” she narrated.

“My papa was a bastard,

My mama was a whore,

And I was just a runt who sleep on their floor,

My papa, he beat me black and blue and he beat my mama too,

My mama, she always blamed the brew and put the man on a pedestal,

But I, I could not accept that fate,

For I had dreams of gold and adventures great,

Of fights and fame and a legendary title to my name,

For poor no more I wished to be,

It was a pirate’s life for me”

“Aw, come on cap’n that ain’t singing” someone protested.

“I’m sorry, would you like my part?”

“Stop being such a spoiler and sing your part Swan”

“Tch, telling me how to do my part” he grumbled.

“Swan”

“Alright, alright, I’ll sing my next line”

“Thank you” Ruby said and began narrating again. “Time passed and the boy became a young man. He spent his years working on the docks, learning everything he could about ships and sailing. Waiting for his opportunity to arise…and soon it did. A pirate ship he hadn’t seen since he was a boy pulled into the docks. He remembered the ship well, for it was the first pirate ship he had ever seen. He knew then and there that it was destiny. That night the young man entered the tavern and approached the captain of the ship. With a confident stance he boldly proclaimed that he would be joining them on their next voyage. The captain stared him up and down and with a nod he said “Lad, I have one task for ye then your employment we shall see” he points to a lass across the room with hair the color of sand and eyes as blue as the sea. “Go and sing a shanty for the lady”

“I’ll go and sing a shanty to the lady~” Emmerik sang and Regina, who had been idly listening to them, whipped her head toward him in surprise. Before, he had just been speaking in tune much like the time she heard them perform Johnny boy. This time he actually sang his verse and was shockingly good. His voice was raspy yet smooth, a bit soft for a man, but charming none the less. If he weren’t a pirate, he’d make a fine bard, Regina thought.

“The young man walked up the woman with confidence. For singing was a secret talent of his and the lad knew it would do him well as a pirate”

“Dear fair lass, I have one task and that is to sing to thee. Dare I ask, you help this lad and let me sing a shanty to the lady~”

“With a coy smile and a faint dip of the head, the girl gave the young man the okay to sing”

“I sing this shanty to the lady, for I am destined to the seas~

I sing this shanty to the lady, for she shall hunt my dreams~

Through rough waters and stormy skies, I’ll see visions of ocean eyes~

Memories of soft curves and lips so sweet, will put this weary man to sleep~

And if I ever miss the land, I’ll think of her pretty hair of sand~

Oh, fair lady, I hope you know~

I will miss you when I go~

Oh, fair lady, if you feel the same~

Write a letter, short sweet, and send it for me to read~

For I sing this to you, this shanty to the lady~

For I sing this to she, this shanty to the lady~

For I sing this shanty to the lady, so she will remember me~

I sing this shanty to the lady, for a pirate I will be~”

“And thus, begun the life of a young pirate” Ruby finished.

The crew cheered and they were abuzz with happy chatter once again. Regina watched them all debate on songs to sing and answered accordingly when she was asked her opinion. Politely declined when she they tried to get her to sing one. Laughed with joy when Henry loudly participated in a song, singing all the wrong lyrics.

She got up when she noticed Emmerik silently slip away to head below deck. She stopped him before he could descend.

“Wait”

“What do you need?”

“Nothing, I..” she steeled herself before she lost her nerve. “I think you should start sleeping in your cabin again”

Emmerik raised a brow, “Where is this coming from?”

“Now that I’m joining your crew, it’ll look bad if you don’t sleep in your room because of me, Right?”

“You’re not wrong, but I am the captain. No one will question me”

“Even if they don’t, it still looks bad”

“I moved so you’d be more comfortable. I know you’re not so keen on men so I was going to let you stay in the cabin until I acquired my ship. Are you saying you’d like to be moved in with the rest of the crew?”

Regina’s eye widened, she hadn’t thought of that. “I..don’t think I’m comfortable with moving”

Emmerik nodded, “You don’t have to”

“I’m not opposed to sharing again, if that’s okay?”

“Are you comfortable with that?”

“Y-yes”

“Okay” Emmerik nodded and changed directions.

Regina stayed behind and watched him go. She wasn’t quite sure why she had done that, but it was too late to change her mind. With a confused frown she returned to the bond fire with the rest of the crew. Hopefully, Emmerik would be asleep by the time she retired.


End file.
